[CHRON] Rockets collapse right out of gate

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/3458608

Nov. 14, 2005, 1:22AM

Rockets collapse right out of gate

No worrying about late leads against Celtics

By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

BOSTON - Finally, the Rockets would not waste a big lead. They would not fall apart late. They would not blow a game they could have, or even should have won.

The Rockets collapsed from the start. And the start in which they broke down, Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said, was the start of training camp.

The problem was not just that the Boston Celtics spanked the Rockets 102-82 on Sunday, never trailing and leading by 23 before coasting. It was not even that the Rockets let Celtics forward Raef LaFrentz hit a career-high seven 3-pointers in the first half without bothering to even cough in his direction.

For all Boston did so well, the Rockets were not humiliated by the Celtics. They embarrassed themselves by taking it without showing even a hint that they minded.

"Yeah, we didn't have any fight," said Rockets forward Stromile Swift, who led the Rockets with 17 points. "They got all the loose balls. They made all of the hustle plays. We didn't show any fight out there."

That was first obvious in their unwillingness to run all the way out to LaFrentz at the 3-point line. He was one 3-pointer shy of matching the NBA record for 3s in a half held by Tracy McGrady, Kobe Bryant, Tim Thomas, Ray Allen and Michael Redd, and finished with 32 points, 27 in the first half, and eight rebounds in his 35 minutes.

Redd had his eight in a quarter in February 2002 against the Rockets when former Rockets guard Oscar Torres, who did not speak English, did not understand the instructions to go over picks rather than let Redd keep shooting. On Sunday, the Rockets went with the Tower of Babel defensive system.

"A lack of intensity, just didn't execute the game plan, lot of mistakes on ourselves," McGrady said. "That's why LaFrentz got off to a great start. He was so wide-open because of our mistakes."

Juwan Howard opened on LaFrentz and then left him as designed in the Rockets' defensive rotations. The next defender is then supposed to rush at LaFrentz, even if it means going past when he puts the ball on the floor. But the Rockets didn't rush anywhere. Instead, the defensive rotations were not quick enough to get even a good look at LaFrentz.


Shortcomings aplenty

"We made some mistakes that contributed to how open he was," Van Gundy said. "You have to give him credit; he's a very good player. Juwan did not make mistakes."
But the Rockets might have been able to overcome those shortcomings, until they found so many more.

After trailing by as much as 16 in the first half, the Rockets were briefly within eight and down by 10 midway through the third quarter. But while shooting poorly and turning the ball over more than in any game this season, the Rockets also cruised through most of the night, despite playing from behind since the game's first minute.

Even when they finally kept LaFrentz company at the 3-point arc, they were so slow defensively the Celtics did not need to shoot outside. After the Rockets reduced the Boston lead to eight in the third quarter, the Celtics scored on three consecutive drives through the Rockets' defense before Ricky Davis nailed a 3 to push the lead back to 66-53. By then, it was clear what was lacking.

"Hustle, heart, will, quickness, speed, intensity, passion; what separated the two teams was those things right there," Van Gundy said. "The margin of victory was much higher than (the score) turned out to be. They took it easy on us.

"We don't have a lot of fight for the ball, and if you don't fight for the ball, it's going to be hard. They were much more assertive on the boards, on every loose ball. They were just harder playing than we were, much harder."


12-for-40 shooting

After shooting well for a half, the Rockets made just 12 of 40 shots in the second half. After scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter a night before, McGrady did not play at all in the fourth quarter with the game that far out of the Rockets' reach.
But for once, the Rockets did not lament how it ended. They had plenty to censure before that.

"I think we were not ready to play today," Yao Ming said. "We say this over and over and over, but we weren't ready. Last night we played pretty well, and today we think this is a game we can get, and then just walked, just jogged on the court."

With that, it was pretty tough to get one of those cumbersome leads to protect.

jonathan.feigen@chron.com

Rockets Summary


McGrady OK

Tracy McGrady said he had no issues with his back strain a day after playing his first game since the Nov. 4 injury.
McGrady said he was tired a day after he played 38 minutes in New Jersey, but no more than normal.

McGrady did sit out the entire fourth quarter in Boston, finishing his night after 28 minutes. But Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said holding McGrady out down the stretch was not because of any issues with his back. The Rockets trailed by 20 when McGrady went out.

"I think it was coach's call," McGrady said. "He felt like the game was out of hand. There was no need to put me back in."

Ryan Bowen, who was inactive because of a strained pelvis Saturday, was well enough to be activated, but played just one minute.


Green inactive

Celtics forward Gerald Green, a rookie out of Gulf Shores Academy, checked out his first NBA game against his hometown team from the same vantage point as each of his previous five, the inactive list.
The Celtics have considered sending Green to the NBA developmental league, but for now are leaning toward keeping him with the team.

"We change our minds probably once a day on that," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "If he does go, I think Danny (Ainge, Celtics director of basketball operations) and I will wake up one day and say 'Let's do it.' "

Rivers said he thinks Green would be best served to practice against Paul Pierce and Ricky Davis.

"Then the next day, I say, 'Well, maybe if he just played 40 minutes a night.' Most days I lean to keeping him here. But some days I think, just let him play somewhere."

Green said he would not complain about a stint in the developmental league, but believes he can improve while practicing with the Celtics.

"It's going great, but it's kind of tough that I'm not playing," Green said. "I'm trying to make the best of it. It's still early. I'm just trying to be patient.

"A lot of the guys said this is what a lot of rookies do, wait and work hard and when they get a chance try to produce. I'm just trying to learn as much as I can."


Press row view

Tracy McGrady could perform magic one night to get the Rockets a much-needed win. But the real trick would be to get the "role players" around him to play the roles. That means do the little things that make a big difference. That means get deflections and to loose balls, to make open shots created by the star, to play harder than players of greater talents. While the players around the Rockets' stars shoot horribly, they have become noticed by failing to do the things that when done right go unnoticed.

Inside the numbers

• 20 — Rockets turnovers, a season high.
• 11 — Rockets assists, a season low.
• 13 — Missed Rockets free throws as they made just 22 of 35 (62.9 percent).
• 14 — Attempted Boston free throws, with the Celtics making 12.
• 7 — Shots made out of 37 by Rockets guards.

JONATHAN FEIGEN